Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin woman Michelle Kathopoulis explains the terrible attack on her brother in Greece

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Darwin woman Michelle Kathopoulis explains the terrible attack on her brother in Greece · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well.
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  Speaker 2: Yesterday on the show, I mentioned the terrible situation that
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: a well known Darwin family is in at the moment
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  Speaker 2: in Greece.
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  Speaker 1: Now.
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  Speaker 2: Darwin man Charlie Cathapulis, was brutally attacked in Greece, with
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  Speaker 2: injuries leaving him in hospital for over two months. Charlie,
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  Speaker 2: who was in Rhodes completing army requirements and assisting in
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  Speaker 2: the resolution of his late father's estate, was left with
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  Speaker 2: horrific injuries following an attack on May thirty, in which
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  Speaker 2: intruders broke into the residence that he was staying before
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  Speaker 2: he was badly beaten to the head with a steel
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  Speaker 2: bar and stabbed multiple times in the throat and chest.
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  Speaker 2: Those two people have since reportedly been arrested, refused bail,
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  Speaker 2: and will be charged with attempted murder. Now joining me
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  Speaker 2: on the line from Greece is Charlie's sister, Michelle Cathapulis.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Michelle.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Katie, Morning Darwin.
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  Speaker 2: Michelle. Well, firstly, how is Charlie.
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  Speaker 1: We've just been so impressed by the strength and the
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  Speaker 1: resilience that he has showed despite the injuries he's got.
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  Speaker 1: The progress that he's made is just astounded the doctors
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  Speaker 1: and us. He's doing really, really well. He is breathing
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  Speaker 1: on his own, or was breathing on his own for
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  Speaker 1: about five days there unassisted without the ventilator. But he's
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  Speaker 1: now just got a new infection to the subworn in
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  Speaker 1: his stow which is where the trachy off to me
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  Speaker 1: too has been placed. So that certainly, you know, takes
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  Speaker 1: things back day by day though that Charlie is doing
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  Speaker 1: doing well, doing as well as you can be.
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  Speaker 2: What a horrible situation that your family is in, Michelle.
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  Speaker 2: I know that I've touched on what had happened, but
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  Speaker 2: it must have been like a nightmare when you guys
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  Speaker 2: got that news.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a little surreal. Actually feels like we're living
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  Speaker 1: in meat you know something you read about or watch. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it's pretty herodicate. Yeah, yeah, it's a little undescribable.
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  Speaker 2: It would be. You know, I've got no idea how
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  Speaker 2: you guys must be feeling at this point now as
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  Speaker 2: I understand it, those two intruders that did break into
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  Speaker 2: the home, they are reportedly up up on attempted murder charges.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's correct. They're they're in prisonerating trial, which will
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  Speaker 1: be in approximately during next year.
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  Speaker 2: Goodness may Michelle just talked me through at the moment
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  Speaker 2: the situation that Charlie's in when it comes to the
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  Speaker 2: medical care that's required.
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  Speaker 1: So essentially we're at a point where there are multiple
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  Speaker 1: injuries and multiple surgeries that are necessary. The wind part
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  Speaker 1: which has been damaged and traumatized, the tracheost to me,
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  Speaker 1: which is not a surgical trachiostomy had to be done
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  Speaker 1: through one of the stub warns, which is too large
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  Speaker 1: for their actual actual tube. So that's all that they
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  Speaker 1: could do. These are really unique circumstances because it's not
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  Speaker 1: just one injury, and there's other impacting injuries as well,
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  Speaker 1: but certainly made it really difficult for them. Yeah, it's
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  Speaker 1: it's really horrific. And so he needs wind pipe, jaw.
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  Speaker 1: They still haven't ascertained whether his vocal courts have been dammaged.
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  Speaker 1: They haven't been able to do an endoscopy. There's just
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  Speaker 1: so many different things that he needs, but he can't
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  Speaker 1: get him roads. They don't have the doctor's experience to
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  Speaker 1: do it, they don't have the facilities, and they don't
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  Speaker 1: have the products necessary to do these surgeries and procedures.
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  Speaker 2: And for reasons that are unknown. At this point, you've
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  Speaker 2: not been able to get him to one of the
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  Speaker 2: other hospitals around Greece at the moment, have you.
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  Speaker 1: We've approached and the doctors here in Rhodes have approached
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  Speaker 1: four other hospitals, three in Athens, one end Crete, and yeah, no,
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  Speaker 1: they haven't accepted him. Initially it was because the injuries
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  Speaker 1: were too horrific and too severe that they weren't sure
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  Speaker 1: what to do and they didn't think they had the
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  Speaker 1: expertise to deal with it. And now that he is
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  Speaker 1: actually showing some progress and improvement on his own, they're
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  Speaker 1: deeming it non urgent. But the fact of the matter
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  Speaker 1: is is that he still needs those surgeries. He's got
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  Speaker 1: an explosive fracture to his jaw. As for an example.
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  Speaker 1: If they deem all these other things non urgent, well
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  Speaker 1: that certainly needs to be done as well, and that
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  Speaker 1: can't be done in roads. None of it can be
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  Speaker 1: done in roads, and we can't. Just don't understand why
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  Speaker 1: the hospitals aren't accepting him. Still showing interest and keeping
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  Speaker 1: in touch with his progress, but to this day, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we're still sitting in it CU without an admission to
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  Speaker 1: another hospital. That can perform those procedures and surgery mean
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  Speaker 1: lo upbreaking.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, and and ultimately right now, you know the
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  Speaker 2: option that you're looking at, and what you and your
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  Speaker 2: sisters and your mum trying your best to do is
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  Speaker 2: bringing back to Darwin, aren't you or bringing back to Australia.
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  Speaker 1: Well, if we can't get Grief to look after him
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  Speaker 1: and perform the surgeries that is necessary, then we don't
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  Speaker 1: have any other option. He can't just be he can't
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  Speaker 1: just be sitting there in our bed waiting for the
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  Speaker 1: next next infection to get him. He's just going nowhere.
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  Speaker 1: The whole, the whole situation is stagnated. And what else
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  Speaker 1: do we do? So yeah, we need we need to
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  Speaker 1: get him home to a healthcare system that can provide
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  Speaker 1: those services for him.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely so, Michelle, you've started, you guys have started this
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  Speaker 2: go fund me page. I know that you know it's
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  Speaker 2: not in your nature to to really put yourself out
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  Speaker 2: to you know, to start this page or for your
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  Speaker 2: family to start this page. But the community has well
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  Speaker 2: and truly jumped behind you and want to support you.
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  Speaker 2: I can read on that page there are so many
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  Speaker 2: beautiful messages from Territorians who really want to try to
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  Speaker 2: help you to bring your brother home.
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  Speaker 1: We have just been completely overwhelmed by the amount of
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  Speaker 1: support and generosity. And you're right, it was really difficult
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  Speaker 1: to ask. You know, there's been a lot of expenses
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  Speaker 1: incurve us star and it isn't in our nature to ask.
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  Speaker 1: It's really difficult. But you know, less than twenty four
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  Speaker 1: hours and we've raised over twenty thousand dollars. It brought
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  Speaker 1: my mum to tears all afternoon and all morning. The messages,
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  Speaker 1: the support, it has been incredible and a very humbling feeling.
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you
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  Speaker 1: to everybody who's given us that support and shown their
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  Speaker 1: generosity and even helps you bay sharing and exposing our
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  Speaker 1: brother's story so that we can try and achieve some success.
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  Speaker 1: It very emotional and very beautiful and we're very very grateful.
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  Speaker 2: Well, and I would imagine as well that through what
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  Speaker 2: has been an absolute nightmare for your mum and for
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  Speaker 2: you ladies, to see those beautiful messages and to see
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  Speaker 2: the way that the community is keen to support you
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  Speaker 2: would would give you some you know, some solace.
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  Speaker 1: Oh look, it's very heartwarming. We literally can't believe it.
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  Speaker 1: We feel very blessed. I'm very very grateful. Yeah, and
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  Speaker 1: every little every little bit helps. And then we're collating
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  Speaker 1: as much money as we can as well. I like
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  Speaker 1: that the quotes keep coming up because they're not formal
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  Speaker 1: quotes until you pay for it. And now we sit
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  Speaker 1: between three hundred and fifty and four hundred thousand, you know,
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  Speaker 1: and we're collating our couple of hundred thousand two. But
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  Speaker 1: we just can't get for the money quick enough.
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  Speaker 2: Well, this is the thing. You actually need to get
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  Speaker 2: home as quickly as you can or back to Australia
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  Speaker 2: as quickly as you can. So, like you've said, he's
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  Speaker 2: able to have that you know that life saving surgery
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  Speaker 2: and that he's not there but you know, potentially at
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  Speaker 2: risk of further infection. Yeah, indeed, Oh, Michelle, I feel
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  Speaker 2: for your family.
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  Speaker 1: I know you know.
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  Speaker 2: I can't even begin to imagine what it must be
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  Speaker 2: like for you guys at the moment. But like I say,
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  Speaker 2: I know that the Northern Territory community is definitely behind you.
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  Speaker 2: We mentioned this on a yesterday and I was instantly
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  Speaker 2: receiving messages from people that I know who know you,
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  Speaker 2: who were saying that they wanted to help. I'm sure
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  Speaker 2: you probably got those same messages and.
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  Speaker 1: Five messages and seventeen fankles this morning just from your mention,
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  Speaker 1: thank you so much. Well, it's really unbelievable and very
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  Speaker 1: we're just so grateful, and yeah, it has been a
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  Speaker 1: really surreal experience. It is very up and down here
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  Speaker 1: emotionally mentally. We don't sleep very well, we're not eating
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  Speaker 1: very well. We're just we're just fighting for Charlie essentially,
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  Speaker 1: just trying everything we can and we have, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to get them to this point. We've emailed and texted ministers,
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  Speaker 1: members of Parliament, congressmen both locally here in Greece in
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  Speaker 1: Australia and Darwin RDHICU have already accepted Charlie. We've got
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  Speaker 1: scans for them. Like we're busy trying to move this
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  Speaker 1: along as quickly as possible. But yeah, it is it
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  Speaker 1: is hard to believe it. Sometimes it's hard to believe
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  Speaker 1: being here.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Michelle, I'll tell you what. Seeing that photo of
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  Speaker 2: you girls, you know, with your brother on the go
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  Speaker 2: fundme page, you look like a family that you know,
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  Speaker 2: I really do love and support each other, and I
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  Speaker 2: hope that you know that you are able to get
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  Speaker 2: your brother home sooner rather than later. Now, if anybody
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  Speaker 2: is out there listening this morning, they're able to jump
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  Speaker 2: on that go fund me. They can search help bring
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  Speaker 2: Charlie home. They'll be able to find your story there. Michelle.
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  Speaker 2: Please keep us up to date and let us know
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  Speaker 2: how things go.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so very much, Katie. I really appreciate it,
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  Speaker 1: and thank you to everyone in Darwen as well. It
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  Speaker 1: really means the world to us.
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  Speaker 2: Michelle, no worries at all, and yeah, we will talk
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  Speaker 2: to you very soon. I appreciate your time.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Shady